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Detailed record for Royal 17 E VII

Part 1 ff. 1-264 
Author Guyart des Moulins
Title La Bible historiale complétée (Genesis - Psalms)
Origin France, Central (Paris?)
Date 1357
Language French
Script Gothic
Artists Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy
Decoration 1 large miniature partially in grisaille, colours and gold, with a full border containing historiated medallions, at the beginning of the text (f. 1). 51 one-column miniatures partially in grisaille, colours and gold, and large foliate initials in colours and gold with marginal extensions forming partial borders, some with dragons, at the beginning of each day of creation and each biblical book. Sketches (ff. 16, 17, 17v, 24v) or written instruction to illuminators (ff. 11v). Small foliate initial in colours and gold throughout the text. Initials in gold with black pen-flourishing, or in blue with red pen-flourishing. Running titles in gold and blue with red and black pen-flourishing. Line-fillers in red and blue. Catchword decorated with animals or human figures and highlighted in yellow (e. g., ff. 12v, 36v, 84v). Cadels and descenders in the form of leaves or animal or human heads (e. g., ff. 52, 63v, 93v, 94, etc.), or marginal drawings (e.g., ff. 154, 201, 206).
Dimensions in mm 390 x 290 (260 x 190), in three columns
 
Part 2 ff. 1-241 
Author Guyart des Moulins
Title La Bible historiale complétée (Proverbs - Revelation)
Origin France, Central (Paris?)
Date 1357
Language French
Script Gothic
Decoration 1 large miniature in four compartments, partially in grisaille, colours and gold, with a full bar border with a bas-de-page scene and birds, at the beginning of the text. 36 one-column miniatures partially in grisaille, colours and gold, and large foliate initials in colours and gold with marginal extensions forming partial borders, some with dragons, at the beginning of each biblical book. Sketches for illuminators (ff. 102v, 105, 110, 113v). Small foliate initial in colours and gold throughout the text. Initials in gold with black pen-flourishing, or in blue with red pen-flourishing. Running titles in gold and blue with red and black pen-flourishing. Line-fillers in red and blue. Catchword decorated with animals or human figures and highlighted in yellow (e. g., ff. 12v, 192v). Cadels and descenders in the form of leaves or animal or human heads (e.g., ff. 87, 96, 101).
Dimensions in mm 395 x 295 (260 x 190), in three columns
 
Official foliation vol. 1: ff. i + 264 (+ 4 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning and at the end, f. i is a medieval parchment flyleaf); vol. 2: ff. 342 (+ 4 unfoliated modern paper flyleaves at the beginning and at the end; f. 342 is a medieval parchment flyleaf)
Form Parchment codex
Binding Post-1600. Royal library binding of brown leather with the royal arms and a date of 1757; gilt edges.
Provenance Completed on 12 January, 1357: colophon: 'Escript l'an Cinquante et six / le douzieme jour de Janvier' (vol. 1, fol. 230); an acrostic, the initials of which when read backwards give the date 'mile trois cens cinquante sept' (vol. 2, f. 241).
Charles V (b. 1338, d. 1380), perhaps made for him as the dauphin of France (1349-1364): a lion used as his symbol (vol. 2, f. 1).
Thomas Langton (b. c.1430, d. 1501), bishop of Winchester and archbishop-elect of Canterbury, several times ambassador to France (1467-1485), inscribed with his name 'Thomas langton' (f. vol. 2, f. 242).
John Theyer (bap. 1598, d. 1673), antiquary: his monogram (vol. 1, f. i verso), a note in his hand (vol. 1, f. 9); included in the catalogue of his library left to his grandson Charles Theyer (b. 1651): see E. Bernard, Catalogi librorum manuscriptorum Angliae et Hiberniae, 3 vols. (Oxford: Sheldonian, '1697', but 1698?), II, no.6439;
Robert Scott (b. c. 1632, d. 1709/10), London bookseller: included in the catalogue of John Theyer’s manuscripts in his possession, made in 1678 by William Beveridge and William Jane, Royal Appendix, 70, no. 3.
Charles II (b. 1630, d.1685), king of England, Scotland, and Ireland: purchased from Scott together with other 311 manuscripts from Theyer's library.
Presented to the British Museum by George II in 1757 as part of the Old Royal Library.
Notes Full digital coverage available for this manuscript: see Digitised Manuscripts at http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts.
Contains Guyard des Moulins, 'La Bible historiale complétée', a French adaptation of Petrus Comestors's 'Historia scholastica'; bound in two volumes (volume I: Genesis-Psalms; volume II: Proverbs-Revelation).
According to Avril 1970 and O'Meara 2001, illuminated by Master of the Bible of Jean de Sy.
Catchwords and bifolium signatures.
Select bibliography Walter de Gray Birch and Henry Jenner, Early Drawings and Illuminations: An Introduction to the Study of Illustrated Manuscripts (London: Bagster and Sons, 1879), p. 9.

Samuel Berger, La Bible franc¸aise au moyen a^ge. E´tude sur les plus anciennes versions de la Bible e´crites en prose de langue d’oi¨l (Paris: Imprimerie Nationale, 1884), pp. 203, 214, 381, 388.

J. A. Herbert, Illuminated Manuscripts (London: Methuen, 1911), p. 245.

[J. A. Herbert], Illuminated Manuscripts and Bindings of Manuscripts Exhibited in The Grenville Library, Guide to the Exhibited Manuscripts, 3 (Oxford: British Museum, 1923), no. 112.

Schools of Illumination: Reproductions from Manuscripts in the British Museum, 6 vols (London: British Museum, 1914-1930), VI: French: Mid 14th to 16th Centuries, pl. 2.

George F. Warner and Julius P. Gilson, Catalogue of Western Manuscripts in the Old Royal and King’s Collections, 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1921), II, pp. 260-61.

Eric G. Millar, Souvenir de l’exposition de manuscrits franc¸ais a` peintures organise´e a` la Grenville Library, British Museum, en janvier-mars, 1932 (Paris: Société Française de Reproductions de Manuscrits a` Peintures, 1933), p. 28, pl. XXXIII.

Millard Meiss, French Painting in the Time of Jean de Berry: The Late XIV Century and the Patronage of the Duke, 2 vols, National Gallery of Art Kress Foundation Studies in the History of European Art, 2 (London: Thames and Hudson, 1967), pp. 20, 204, fig. 375, 383, 384.

La Librairie de Charles V (Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale, 1968), no. 166 [exhibition catalogue].

François Avril, 'Une Bible Historiale de Charles V', Jahrbuch der Hamburger Kunst Sammlungen, 15/16 (1970),45-76 (pp. 45, n. 5, 49, n. 9).

Andrew G. Watson, Catalogue of Dated and Datable Manuscripts c. 700-1600 in The Department of Manuscripts: The British Library, 2 vols (London: British Library, 1979), I, no. 904.

Patrick M. de Winter, 'The Grandes Heures of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy: The Copyist Jean l'Avenant and his Patrons at the French Court', Speculum, 57 (1982) 786-843 (p. 794, n. 31).

Christopher De Hamel, A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, (Oxford : Phaidon, 1986), p. 148.

Margaret T. Gibson, The Bible in the Latin West, I: The Medieval Book, (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993), no. 21.

Janet Backhouse, The Illuminated Page: Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting in the British Library (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997), no. 105.

Akiko Komada, 'Les illustrations de la Bible historiale: les manuscrits réalisés dans le Nord', 4 vols (Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Paris IV, 2000), III, no. 36.

The Libraries of King Henry VIII, ed. by J. P. Carley, Corpus of British Medieval Library Catalogues, 7 (London: The British Library, 2000), p. xxvii, n. 17.

Carra Ferguson O'Meara, Monarchy and Consent: The Coronation Book of Charles V of France: British Library MS Tiberius B VIII (London : Harvey Miller, 2001), pp. 265-71, 332 n. 7, ils 101, 102.

Katarzyna Plonka Balus, Vita Christi [et] Vengance de Nostre Seigneur Jhesu Christ: Zagadnienia tresci, stylu I funkcji miniatur rekopisu 2919 w Bibliotece Czartoryskich (Cracow: Universitas, 2004), pp. 105-06.

Margaret Scott, Medieval Dress & Fashion (London: British Library, 2007), pl. 65.

Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (London: British Library, 2011), no. 22.

Kathryn A. Smith, ‘Found in Translation: Images Visionary and Visceral in the Welles-Ros Bible’, Gesta 59: 2 (2020), 91-130 (p. 92).


Images

Part  1   ff. 1-264
Guyart des Moulins La Bible historiale complétée (Genesis - Psalms)
* * *
 
Solomon

f. 1
Solomon
Trinity

f. 1
Trinity
Trinity

f. 1
Trinity
 
Peter Comestor at work

f. 2v
Peter Comestor at work
Peter Comestor giving his book

f. 2v
Peter Comestor giving his book
God creating the Earth

f. 3
God creating the Earth
 
God dividing light and darkness

f. 3v
God dividing light and darkness
God creating the skies

f. 3v
God creating the skies
God creating the waters

f. 4
God creating the waters
 
God creating the sun and the moon

f. 4v
God creating the sun and the moon
God creating animals

f. 5
God creating animals
God creating birds and bees

f. 5v
God creating birds and bees
 
God seated

f. 6v
God seated
Creation of Eve

f. 6v
Creation of Eve
Tree of Knowledge

f. 7
Tree of Knowledge
 
Tree of Knowledge

f. 7
Tree of Knowledge
The Fall

f. 7v
The Fall
Explusion of Adam and Eve

f. 8v
Explusion of Adam and Eve
 
Sacrifices of Cain and Abel

f. 9
Sacrifices of Cain and Abel
Cain murdering Abel

f. 9v
Cain murdering Abel
The Ark

f. 11v
The Ark
 
God calling Abraham

f. 16
God calling Abraham
Abraham defeating the kings

f. 17
Abraham defeating the kings
Abraham and Isaac

f. 17v
Abraham and Isaac
 
Abraham and Isaac

f. 17v
Abraham and Isaac
Birth of Esau and Jacob

f. 24v
Birth of Esau and Jacob
Jacob's dream

f. 27
Jacob's dream
 
Jacob's dream

f. 27
Jacob's dream
Sale of Joseph

f. 32
Sale of Joseph
Moses before Pharoah

f. 41
Moses before Pharoah
 
Moses receiving the law

f. 53
Moses receiving the law
Moses in a priestly robe

f. 65
Moses in a priestly robe
Moses bidden to number the people

f. 74
Moses bidden to number the people
 
Moses speaking to the people

f. 91v
Moses speaking to the people
Joshua bidden to cross the Jordan

f. 104v
Joshua bidden to cross the Jordan
Battle with the Canaanites

f. 111
Battle with the Canaanites
 
Hannah praying

f. 121v
Hannah praying
David mourning for Saul

f. 134v
David mourning for Saul
Death of Absalom

f. 142v
Death of Absalom
 
Anointing of Solomon

f. 147v
Anointing of Solomon
Elijah being carried up to heaven

f. 166v
Elijah being carried up to heaven
Elijah being carried up to heaven

f. 166v
Elijah being carried up to heaven
 
Job, his wife and friends

f. 186v
Job, his wife and friends
Job being served by his sons

f. 197
Job being served by his sons
Captivity of Tobit

f. 198
Captivity of Tobit
 
Death of Gedaliah

f. 202v
Death of Gedaliah
Building of Ecbatane

f. 214
Building of Ecbatane
Judith slaying Holofernes

f. 217
Judith slaying Holofernes
 
Esther and Ahasuerus

f. 222
Esther and Ahasuerus
Alexander kneeling to the high priest

f. 227
Alexander kneeling to the high priest
David playing musical instruments

f. 231
David playing musical instruments
 
David pointing to his eye

f. 235v
David pointing to his eye
David pointing to his lips

f. 238
David pointing to his lips
The Fool

f. 241
The Fool
 
The Fool

f. 241
The Fool
David drowning

f. 243v
David drowning
David playing the bells

f. 247
David playing the bells
 
Two singers at a lectern

f. 250
Two singers at a lectern
The Trinity

f. 253v
The Trinity

Part  2   ff. 1-241
Guyart des Moulins La Bible historiale complétée (Proverbs - Revelation)
* * *
 
Solomon

f. 1
Solomon
Lion, dog and four apes

f. 1
Lion, dog and four apes
Solomon enthroned

f. 11v
Solomon enthroned
 
Solomon

f. 14v
Solomon
God speaking to Solomon

f. 16
God speaking to Solomon
Solomon enthroned

f. 21
Solomon enthroned
 
Martyrdom of Isaiah

f. 36v
Martyrdom of Isaiah
God speaking to Jeremiah

f. 54v
God speaking to Jeremiah
Jeremiah writing

f. 73
Jeremiah writing
 
Baruch writing

f. 74v
Baruch writing
Baruch teaching

f. 75
Baruch teaching
Jeremiah speaking

f. 76v
Jeremiah speaking
 
Ezekiel reading

f. 77
Ezekiel reading
King seated

f. 92v
King seated
Hosea seated

f. 99
Hosea seated
 
Joel seated

f. 101v
Joel seated
Amos sleeping

f. 102v
Amos sleeping
Obadiah

f. 104v
Obadiah
 
Jonah and the whale

f. 105
Jonah and the whale
Micah

f. 105v
Micah
Nahum

f. 107
Nahum
 
Habbakuk and Daniel

f. 107v
Habbakuk and Daniel
Zephaniah

f. 108v
Zephaniah
Haggai

f. 109v
Haggai
 
Zechariah writing

f. 110
Zechariah writing
Malachai

f. 112v
Malachai
King receiving head from body.

f. 113v
King receiving head from body.
 
Messenger

f. 125v
Messenger
Matthew

f. 133v
Matthew
Matthew

f. 134
Matthew
 
Matthew and the Nativity

f. 134
Matthew and the Nativity
Nativity

f. 134
Nativity
Baptism of Christ

f. 134v
Baptism of Christ
 
Temptation of Christ

f. 135
Temptation of Christ
Mark

f. 149
Mark
Luke

f. 159v
Luke
 
John

f. 177
John
Paul

f. 189v
Paul
Apostle preaching

f. 217v
Apostle preaching
 
John with chalice

f. 235
John with chalice

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